CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Stock Position Boosted by Ritholtz Wealth Management

Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 10.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,451 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 416 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in CME Group were worth $1,181,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CME. Norges Bank bought a new position in CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,107,389,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in CME Group by 89.9% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,280,785 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,923,047,000 after buying an additional 3,921,278 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $871,063,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in CME Group by 32,941.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,858,887 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $493,144,000 after acquiring an additional 1,853,261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Wealth Planning LLC lifted its holdings in CME Group by 69.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,435,823 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $565,671,000 after acquiring an additional 996,498 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In related news, Director Martin J. Gepsman sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.17, for a total value of $81,951.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 24,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,765,601.39. This represents a 1.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Phyllis M. Lockett sold 1,060 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.88, for a total value of $294,552.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,108 shares in the company, valued at $863,651.04. This represents a 25.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,400 shares of company stock valued at $3,680,610 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of CME Group from $265.00 to $273.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of CME Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $287.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $269.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of CME Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of CME Group from $279.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $258.20.

CME Group Price Performance

NASDAQ CME opened at $269.70 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $273.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $254.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.45. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $190.70 and a 52-week high of $290.79.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.61 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 57.71% and a return on equity of 14.03%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.50 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.30%.

CME Group Profile

CME Group Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates contract markets for the trading of futures and options on futures contracts worldwide. It offers futures and options products based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, agricultural commodities, energy, and metals, as well as fixed income and foreign currency trading services.